The Big Dance

The Pennsylvania Ballet

by Janet Anderson

Alexander Iziliaev RED NOVEMBER: MVP Zachary Hench splits the difference between grounded and groundbreaking in Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove. (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Both ends of South Broad Street were in a tizzy last Wednesday night: As the Phillies wrapped up the World Series at Citizens Bank Park, the Pennsylvania Ballet socked in some winners, as well, as the company celebrated the start of its 45th season. Not unlike our Fightin' Phils, PAB hasn't breezed to the top — they've had their own slumps to overcome. But here they were, the picture of confidence, performing a program that nicely laid out where they'd started and where they're going. Sound familiar, sports fans?

As is traditional, PAB opened its season with George Balanchine, the great 20th-century neoclassicist — and godfather of our local troupe. Ballo della Regina was choreographed in 1978 using music from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Don Carlos. This is a deceptively pretty ballet, the kind that causes audiences to go "ahhhh" while the corps executes perfectly. Amy Aldridge and Zachary Hench displayed crystalline technique as they soared around the stage.

In a break from the traditional, old-school Balanchine, Kazimir's Colours from Italian experimenter Mauro Bigonzetti is keeping the company current, taking its inspiration from the challenging work of Russian abstract painter Kazimir Malevich. This complicated, constantly changing piece for 20 dancers filled the stage with seething movement. Performing shirtless, muscular Sergio Torrado grounded, centered and commanded this piece. His moves were those of a wrestler, earthy and powerful, while his partner, Riolama Lorenzo, provided a lovely, sinuous female counterpart.

Twyla Tharp's Push Comes to Shove fits nicely in the middle, representing a transition between Balanchine's groundbreaking achievements and today's risk-taking choreography. Shove was created in 1976 while Tharp was deep into her Baryshnikov American Ballet Theater period. It's pure sass, combining pop and classical — "Bohemia Rag" and Haydn's Symphony No. 82 in C major. The blend of goofiness (tossing around a derby hat), grand jêtes and whacked-out Tharpian stomps and punches was fun, but universally, ballet has moved on in a big way, and although well-performed, Tharp's piece felt dated.

When it comes down to it, these performances belonged to the guys: Hench owned the air while Torrado commanded the ground. The troupe looked great, the orchestra sounded fabulous and as we exited the grand old Academy, the audience walked out into a crowd of city-dwellers celebrating the Phillies' victory. Champions everywhere!

(j_anderson@citypaper.net)

Pennsylvania Ballet | Oct. 29 Academy of Music